Monday Morning Encouragement -- God's Sovereignty

 

“How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears."
2 Samuel 7:22


When I was a young Christian, God's sovereignty was one of His attributes that I struggled to appreciate. Truthfully, I didn't like it much. My desire to control situations was in complete conflict with the sovereignty -- the supreme authority -- of God.


I believe the desire to control what happens to us is pretty common among most people, especially those who have no relationship with Jesus. And yet, no matter if we believe in God or not, we have to admit that control is something that sooner or later everyone will have to relinquish.


Why do people struggle with God's sovereignty? 


As the late pastor J. Hampton Keathley III writes: 


"One of our problems today is that we have lost the biblical perspective of the majestic greatness of God, and we have a completely wrong focus on God. As J. B. Phillips points out in his book, Your God Is Too Small, people today see God as: (a) the resident policeman; (b) the grand old man; (c) a parental hangover, or some other short-sighted, twisted view of God."


I completely agree! Until we have a proper, biblical view of God, we will fight against His sovereignty.


The Bible teaches us that God created all things, and that as Creator He has the authority to reign over all things, including us. The Bible also teaches us that God loves us, and that because He is holy and without sin, His motives are always pure and His actions meant for our good.


In addressing God's sovereignty, Melanie Newton, founder of Joyful Walk Ministries says:


"If God is the sovereign ruler of His creation, that means He is the sovereign ruler of you. Yet, adding together God’s sovereignty with His great love expressed through the gift of His Son Jesus should give you great security and confidence."


How true! I am convinced that God has the absolute right to sovereignty -- to rule over me -- and that at the same time He has great love for me as "expressed through the gift of His Son Jesus." Acknowledging these two truths resolve the conflict I once had with accepting God's sovereignty, and bring me comfort and peace.  


God's sovereignty is a big subject, and I've only scratched the surface today. I'm interested to know what you have to say about this topic.


Todays beautiful music video Sovereign by Chris Tomlin calls us to trust in our sovereign God at all times.




I love you, I'm thinking of you, and I'm praying for you.











18 comments

  1. I believe God reigns over all. However, younger, I did not give credibility to this wonderous fact of love He has for all He has created, thus I did not understand or believe. Now I pray I do totally accept without question.

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    1. Thank you for sharing your perspective, Lynn. it's not always easy to "accept without question", and so I admire that you've made this your prayer. It's what we all should do. xo

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  2. Amen. I feel that we have to be very careful to make sure we have the right attitude. Our world can celebrate "me, me, me" so much that it can become part of our thinking and get in our way without us even realizing it.

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    1. You're so right, Sandi! I find myself wandering down the "poor me" path without consciously thinking about it. I'm so glad the Holy Spirit stops me when I do this, and turns me around. xo

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  3. This is a good explanation of God's sovereignty. The more I read the Old Testament books and especially Psalms, the better I understand God's right of sovereignty.

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    1. Thank you, Linda. I agree that the Old Testament helps us get a better understanding of God's sovereignty and His absolute right to it. xo

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  4. Very encouraging for me today! I agree in order to realize His Sovereignty, we must get to know Him through His proclaimed Word!
    Thanks for sharing.
    Sue

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    1. I'm so glad this is an encouragement to you today, Sue. God bless you. xo

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  5. We heard a great sermon on the sovereignty of God when we visited our kids church a few months back. One of the things the pastor said was that everything is Father filtered. He also said to stand under so one day you will understand. God is infinite in wisdom and perfect in love. It's good to place our confidence and rely on who God is. God shows us who he is through the Word of God/ the Bible. The God of reality is bigger than the God of our imagination. We need a Biblical view of God and everything else. I'm rambling... Thank you dear lady. Happy Labor Day to you.

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    1. What a great quote from the pastor: "Stand under so one day you will understand." It reminds me of the lyrics from Babbie Mason's song Trust His Heart:
      So when you don't understand
      When don't see His plan
      When you can't trace His hand
      Trust His Heart
      If what you shared is what you call "rambling", then please Ramble On! Thanks, Ellen. Always good to read what you share. xo

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  6. We see more and more of this control in our world. Everyone wants things their way no matter what. I try so hard when things that are not going well in my life to remember God has my back. Even with being uncomfortable or in pain he is with me. I remember when Terry was out of work years ago and could not find another position for two years. I prayed and prayed and asked why? Then I realized all of our plans are on his schedule not mine. He came through and during this time it taught me a lot of things. The friends, family and people that stood by us and helped us. I do not think God wants us to suffer but learn things during our struggles. Beautiful music and post Nancy. Happy Labor Day. xoxo Kris

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    1. I remember well the time Terry was unemployed. It's an encouragement to me to read that you learned a lot of things through that time. You're right! God wants to teach us through our struggles. I know for myself that by submitting to Him and trusting Him with whatever is going on in my life, knowing that He loves me and has a perfect plan, I have found it easier to face the next crisis because I know how faithful He is! Thanks, Kris! xo

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  7. Good explanation! I think it's a comfort to know God is in control, because He knows best. I may not like what He is doing all the time, but it's for the best.

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    1. The older I get, the more content I am in knowing God's in control, and I can just let go of the wheel! xo

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  8. As a young Christian, I followed the "rules" and did what I thought I was supposed to, even if I didn't want to. Now, knowing that the Lord always wants the best for me, even if I think I want something else, I try to follow Him. Oh, so many times I have wished that I could just talk with Him and hear with my ears His plans for me so I wouldn't mess up so many times. Thank you for this post and the encouraging words from both you and my Christian sisters in the comments.
    Blessings and love,
    Betsy

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    1. I love it when people engage in conversations like this. Thanks, Betsy, for sharing your experience. I so look forward to the day when I will finally see our Savior face to face, and will hear His voice! xo

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  9. The best advice I ever recieved was, "Open and read your Bible!"
    Start out with Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
    Then keep reading!

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    1. Yes, our Bible will do us no good by sitting unopened on a shelf! xo

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